GeneLady - Ola Heska

Services

Services available:
- translation of vital records and other genealogy
related materials to/from Polish, Russian, English, Latin,
- translation of other genealogy related materials,
- genealogy research, using records available in the
US,
- co-operation with State Archives in Poland and
local parishes, if
microfilmed records are not available in the US,
- research in Poland.

In case of translation assignments, once the work is completed, a
client receives
the translation and the invoice. The total is to be paid by
personal check or money order. Clients from countries other than the US
can pay via PayPal in US dollars. I consider myself very
fortunate to have worked with great people who pay for my work
promptly,
therefore, currently I do not require a deposit. I hope to continue
this way.

The speed of translation depends for the most part on the
quality of the copies and on the handwriting. You are welcome to email
a
sample of the records for a quote - it's better to send the worst ones
and advise
me whether the remainder are of the same or better quality.

State Archives in Poland do genealogical research for people for a fee.
Generally, after the initial request, an archive will check whether it
has the records in question and will quote a deposit to be wired to its
account. After the research is done, the archive informs of the results
and if there is any additional amount to be paid, one has to wire the
remainder of the fee and then the copies of the records are mailed via
registered letter. A request to an archive can be done in English but
please be advised that they will answer in Polish.

Requests to parishes go, for the most part, unanswered. Reasons vary
(short-staffed, inability to read Russian by younger priests, and yes,
sometimes laziness) but what I tell clients is "go ahead and write,
don't expect an answer, but I hope you will be pleasantly surprised."
Letters to parishes must be written in Polish. A small donation ($10)
should accompany your letter.

Some time ago I wrote a letter to a parish on behalf of a
client
requesting a copy of his greatgrandfather's birth record. We enclosed a
small donation, mailed the letter and, never received an answer. A few
years later this client went to visit his cousins in Poland and went to
this parish to see if he could get a copy of the record. The priest who
turned out very helpful, opened the book and.... from the book fell my
letter with a photocopy of the record... Turns out, someone just
forgot to mail it back.

Research in Poland is discussed on a case-by-case basis. A few
guidelines apply though. After contacting the parish, if the priest
allows me to visit to research the records, I will determine
approximate expenses (transportation, accommodations, meals)
and will request a deposit equal the approximate expense amount. The
fee for the research time will be billed after the work is completed.